Name: Tobal 2Genre: Fighting Game
Developer: Dream Factory
Publisher: Square Soft
Game Design: Seiichi Ishii
Character Design: Akira Toriyama
Composer: Takayuki Nakamura
Release Year: 1997
System: Playstation
For all who don't know, Toriyama is the Creator of Dragon Ball(and many other great manga!). He also did character design work Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest, Blue Dragon and of course Tobal no 1 and 2.
The reason I think this game should get a sequel is because it has Chuji!...Seriously, it has a very nice and expansive dungeon mode and I like the fighting game mechanics. Plus having Toriyama designs is awesome.
Ok, this story section is gonna be short and sweet.
Story
Return to the ring once more!
Return to the ring once more!
Emperor Udan is having another tournament just like in Tobal no. 1. All the familiar faces return, bringing 2 new fighters with them(Chaco and Doctor V.). Plus 200 extra monsters!(more on this later.)
I apologize if I am a bit hazy on the story and other sections of this post. It has been years since I have played this, and it doesn't help that it is in japanese.
Here is the intro to Tobal. There is, what I would guess to be an English translation floating over the Japanese text, read it and get a little more insight into it's story. The music in the intro rocks too!
Versus Game Play
Tobal's fighting engine is similar to Virtua Fighter's but it definitely has it's own uniqueness. First of all, this game has full freedom of movement around the ring. It also has an interesting charge attack system where you would see stars on you characters limbs as they attack. The longer the charge, the more dmg it would inflict but it would also drain your health.
It also added fireballs that were not in Tobal 1. While this also took away health from the person charging the fireball, it also could kill in one hit like the charge attack. Sound cheap? Not at all, it was easy to side step this fireball. While it wasn't useless, the fireball was hard to hit with.
Also can't forget the games grapples! It had a very push/pull tug of war kinda feel to it. You could hit each other while in a grapple and perform throw escapes!
I apologize if I am a bit hazy on the story and other sections of this post. It has been years since I have played this, and it doesn't help that it is in japanese.
Here is the intro to Tobal. There is, what I would guess to be an English translation floating over the Japanese text, read it and get a little more insight into it's story. The music in the intro rocks too!
Versus Game Play
The meat of a fighting game!
Tobal's fighting engine is similar to Virtua Fighter's but it definitely has it's own uniqueness. First of all, this game has full freedom of movement around the ring. It also has an interesting charge attack system where you would see stars on you characters limbs as they attack. The longer the charge, the more dmg it would inflict but it would also drain your health.
It also added fireballs that were not in Tobal 1. While this also took away health from the person charging the fireball, it also could kill in one hit like the charge attack. Sound cheap? Not at all, it was easy to side step this fireball. While it wasn't useless, the fireball was hard to hit with.
Also can't forget the games grapples! It had a very push/pull tug of war kinda feel to it. You could hit each other while in a grapple and perform throw escapes!
Since I have not played this game in awhile, I don't want to miss any of it's finer points. Watch this video and check out some of the cool air juggles as well as the cast's awesome move sets.
They animate so fluidly for a PS One game. I miss you Dream Factory!
Dungeon Crawling
In a fighting game? Really?
Dungeon Crawling
In a fighting game? Really?
Yep, another reason that makes Tobal 2 totally different from most fighters!
It kept its fighting engine in this mode as well but added rpg elements! There was an inn, shop and a church to save at. The town was not in Tobal no. 1. There are multiple dungeons and even stats for your character! I have never spent so much time playing a rpg I couldn't read.
This wasn't just a tacked on mode with no originality. Your character could power up his/her arms, legs, throws and guard. You also have weapons you can use. Not only that, you could capture monsters in this mode, to use in Vs play! 200 playable characters!
The only other fighting game/ rpg I can think of(not made by Dream Factory) is Revengers of Vengance(a Sega CD game, which I might do a post about!). Tobal 2 is in a league of it's own.
It kept its fighting engine in this mode as well but added rpg elements! There was an inn, shop and a church to save at. The town was not in Tobal no. 1. There are multiple dungeons and even stats for your character! I have never spent so much time playing a rpg I couldn't read.
This wasn't just a tacked on mode with no originality. Your character could power up his/her arms, legs, throws and guard. You also have weapons you can use. Not only that, you could capture monsters in this mode, to use in Vs play! 200 playable characters!
The only other fighting game/ rpg I can think of(not made by Dream Factory) is Revengers of Vengance(a Sega CD game, which I might do a post about!). Tobal 2 is in a league of it's own.
Final Thoughts
I want those cool Toriyama shoes!
While Tobal had a spiritual successor called Ehrgeiz(I should do a post on this too!), it deserves a sequel itself! Chuji, Gren, Epon, Hom, Fei an the rest of the cast need to be seen again! I don't know about you, but I get a kind of nice feeling seeing characters again after so many years.
Overall, you can't say this game didn't have enough content. Fighting game and dungeon crawler. With plenty of unlockable characters to boot! I miss staying up all night unlocking characters in fighting games. Don't get enough of that now days *sigh*. This is why this game needs a sequel!
Overall, you can't say this game didn't have enough content. Fighting game and dungeon crawler. With plenty of unlockable characters to boot! I miss staying up all night unlocking characters in fighting games. Don't get enough of that now days *sigh*. This is why this game needs a sequel!
By the way, if you can't get a hold of either Tobal or Ehrgeiz, you can get a similar play style from Crimson Tears and Bouncer on PS2.
Preview
A trilogy means 3!
A trilogy means 3!
Well, since a trilogy is three parts, now it is time for our 3rd and final trilogy for now. Tune in next time as we take a look at JET SET RADIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUTURE!
Ahhh, I do miss Tobal! One of the only games I ever traded in other games, in order to get!
ReplyDeleteThe game had so many bonus features. Playable Chocobos in VS! Playable Dragons that were HUGE! Toriyama Robo! Easter eggs that allowed you do to weird things like control the characters eyes after victory poses, or to actually actively make your character grow or shrink in mid battle, from as small as someone's foot, to almost as big as the areana itself!
And all of this animated at 60 FPS, with characters that had lipsync, actual modeled mouths with teeth (not just flat textured maws), individual fingers, nice cloth and cape physics, and a pretty nifty lighting engine for the time.
It was a game full of class and quality, and I'd buy an english translation of it on XBLA in a heartbeat! And a modern day sequel would be absolutely EPIC.